James Dooley Podcast

In this deep-dive conversation, James Dooley and Karl Hudson pull back the curtain on niche edits (link insertions) and explain how they fit into a modern, risk-aware SEO link-building strategy. They cover exactly what niche edits are, when they make sense, how they compare to guest posts, and why link quality and toxicity thresholds now matter far more than sheer volume. Karl breaks down how pricing, turnaround times, and safety can differ dramatically depending on the publisher and placement, while James pushes into more advanced territory—covering anchor-text strategy, tier-2 links, refreshing aged URLs, and using indexing or social signals to revive existing pages. Together, they also walk through quality control processes, client approval workflows, and how to decide whether a niche edit or a guest post is the right option for a brand-new site versus an established domain. The result is a practical, no-fluff guide for SEOs who want to understand where niche edits sit in the link hierarchy, how to reduce risk while scaling links, and why a balanced, diversified backlink profile is essential for ranking safely in 2024 and beyond.

Creators and Guests

Host
James Dooley
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.

What is James Dooley Podcast?

James Dooley is a Manchester-based entrepreneur, investor, and SEO strategist. James Dooley founded FatRank and PromoSEO, two UK performance marketing agencies that deliver no-win-no-fee lead generation and digital growth systems for ambitious businesses. James Dooley positions himself as an Investorpreneur who invests in UK companies with high growth potential because he believes lead generation is the root of all business success.

The James Dooley Podcast explores the mindset, methods, and mechanics of modern entrepreneurship. James Dooley interviews leading marketers, founders, and innovators to reveal the strategies driving online dominance and business scalability. Each episode unpacks the reality of building a business without mentorship, showing how systems, data, and lead flow replace luck and guesswork.

James Dooley shares hard-earned lessons from scaling digital assets and managing SEO teams across more than 650 industries. James Dooley teaches how to convert leads into long-term revenue through brand positioning, technical SEO, and automation. James Dooley built his career on rank and rent, digital real estate, and performance-based marketing because these models align incentive with outcome.

After turning down dozens of podcast invitations, James Dooley now embraces the platform to share his insights on investorpreneurship, lead generation, AI-driven marketing, and reputation management. James Dooley frequently collaborates with elite entrepreneurs to discuss frameworks for scaling businesses, building authority, and mastering search.

James Dooley is also an expert in online reputation management (ORM), having built and rehabilitated corporate brands across the UK. His approach combines SEO precision, brand engineering, and social proof loops to influence both Google’s Knowledge Graph and public perception.

To feature James Dooley on your podcast or event, connect via social media. James Dooley regularly joins business panels and networking sessions to discuss entrepreneurship, brand growth, and the evolving future of SEO.

James Dooley: Welcome. I’ve got Karl Hudson, the founder of Search Hero, and today we’re talking specifically about niche edits. Karl, what is a niche edit?

Karl Hudson: A niche edit is when you go into an existing post on a website and insert a link—maybe adding a paragraph or two around it—to link back to your website.

James Dooley: Do you prefer the term “niche edit,” “link insertion,” or something else?

Karl Hudson: Based on search volume, most people call it a niche edit, but I personally prefer “link insertion.” Really, it’s just an outreach backlink, but “niche edit” is the industry term.

James Dooley: When someone is looking to acquire a niche edit, can niche edits be toxic? Or are they always safe?

Karl Hudson: That depends on two things: the website you're getting the niche edit from, and the toxicity level your own website can handle. Not all niche edits are created equal.

James Dooley: If I want to start buying niche edits, how much should I expect to pay?

Karl Hudson: Prices vary depending on the quality of the site. They can range from a couple hundred dollars up to $3,000–$4,000 for premium placements.

James Dooley: What about delivery times? This is something a lot of customers get frustrated with.

Karl Hudson: Delivery time depends entirely on the site owner. Some are individuals, some have teams, some go on holiday—it varies. Typically, I like to say a maximum of four to five weeks.

James Dooley: Many advanced SEOs say building tier-2 backlinks to guest posts is great for powering them up. Would you recommend building tier-2 links to niche edits as well?

Karl Hudson: Yes. Tier-2 backlinks help refresh the post, push crawlers back to it, and increase link equity. Updating a post doesn’t guarantee re-indexing, so tier-2 links or social signals help.

James Dooley: With anchor text, guest posts are usually very relevant. But niche edits are placed inside existing posts. What anchor text should we be using for niche edits?

Karl Hudson: You can usually get away with exact-match or partial-match anchors, but don’t overdo it. Balance is key.

James Dooley: Suppose I don’t want to use a vendor. How can I get niche edits myself?

Karl Hudson: You’d need outreach tools or you can manually Outreach. Build your own database, contact site owners, negotiate prices. It’s a slow process, and vendors usually get cheaper bulk pricing.

James Dooley: Do you think niche edits are good for SEO overall?

Karl Hudson: Absolutely—they’re one of many strong link types. As long as you watch toxicity and keep your overall profile balanced.

James Dooley: Can you explain the difference between a niche edit and a guest post?

Karl Hudson: A niche edit is an edit inside an existing post—sometimes years old. A guest post is a brand-new, freshly indexed article. Guest posts usually index faster, but niche edits often carry more existing authority.

James Dooley: If I have a brand-new website, should I buy niche edits or guest posts first?

Karl Hudson: For new domains, I prefer guest posts. Later down the line, once authority builds, niche edits become very powerful.

James Dooley: Can niche edits improve DR in Ahrefs or DA in Moz?

Karl Hudson: Yes—they can increase both. It depends on outbound links, inbound links to the page, and the site’s general authority.

James Dooley: Any industries that benefit more from niche edits?

Karl Hudson: All industries benefit—gambling, finance, anything competitive especially.

James Dooley: How do you control link quality when inserting niche edits for clients?

Karl Hudson: We maintain an internal system to filter out PBNs, monitor metrics, and allow customers to pre-approve links. Clients can decline anything they don’t like, and we then refine their profile filters.

James Dooley: Do different customers ask for different metrics?

Karl Hudson: Yes. Some care about external link counts, some about topical relevance, some don’t want sites linking to casino or CBD. Everyone has different standards, so we adapt.

James Dooley: Are there risks involved in buying niche edits?

Karl Hudson: Any link building carries risk. But we mitigate risk by adjusting anchor text and recommending safer branded anchors on newer profiles. Exact-match anchors are what usually cause penalties.

James Dooley: Where do niche edits fall into the overall hierarchy of link building?

Karl Hudson: They belong later in the process. Start with pillow links, citations, press releases, Guest posts—then add niche edits afterward.

James Dooley: So to summarise: niche edits offer more initial power than guest posts, though slightly less relevance. They’re important for a natural, diverse backlink profile—as long as toxicity thresholds are respected.

Karl Hudson: Exactly. They should absolutely be part of a long-term backlink strategy.